trumble



I M. J. TRUMBLE.

PROCESS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBON OILS.

APPLICATION HLED IUNEZL 1916 Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

M. maumpm PROCESS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBON OILS.

. APPLICATION FILED IUNE27. 1916. 1,304,125.

Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILON J. TRUMBLE, OF ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO SHELL COMPANY F CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

PROOESS'FOR TREATING HYDROCARBON OILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1919.

Application filed June 27, 1916. Serial No. 106,255.

and State of California, have invented a new and useful Process for Treating Hydrocarbon Oils, of which the following is a specification.

tions.

coil 12.

My invention relates to the art of treating hydrocarbon oils. In that art various methods have been proposed for so treating hydrocarbons so that they will be changed in their physical characteristics and rendered more valuable, the demand for certain hydrocarbon compounds being greatly in excess of the supply under present condi- The object of my invention is to provide a process and apparatus by which certain of the more valuable hydrocarbons, such as gasolene, benzin, toluene, and similar products may-be produced from heavy crude oils and the like.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only: Y

Figure 1 is a plan view of my apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on a plane represented by the line a2 m of Fig. 1.

The apparatus employed consists broadly of a furnace 11 in which is placed a heating The heating coil 12 communicates with the interior of a vapor releaser 13 which is placed in a closed chamber 14 which is in open communication with the interior of the furnace 11. Vapors from-the vapor releaser 13 are carried into a cracking chamber 15 in which they are mixed with the hot gases of combustion and with superheated and disassociated steam which is primarily produced by a steam coil 16 and nozzle 17 located in the bottom of the. furnace 11. Draft is produced in the various portions reviously described by means of a suction b ower 18, this suction blower delivering the combined gases into a scrubber 19in which the first carbon, tar, etc., are removed, a condenser 20 being provided ior condensing the valuable products thererom.

Considered more in detail the furnace 11 is preferably formed of brick and fire brick, and has a fire door 21 through which a gas or oil pipe 22 projects, this gas or oil pipe being provided with a gas or 011 burner 23 and with a valve 24 by means of which the supply of gas or oil to the burner may be i I controlled. The air for combustion enters the furnace through the door 21.

The primary heating coil 12 consists of a number of pipes 25 which pass longitudinally through the furnace, and which are provided with end connections 26 so that they are connected in a single series, the oil entering this series through an inlet pipe 27 and leaving it through an outlet pipe 28. The ,pipe 28 extends up and connects into a T 29, the oil from the coil 12 passing downwardly through the T into the interior of the vapor releaser 13. The vapor releaser 13 consists of a metal shell 30, in the center of which is located a vapor pipe 31 having perforations 32 therein. The vapor pipe 311s provided with a series of spreaders 33 which tend to force the down flowing oil against the inner walls of the shell 30, and at the same time to protect the perforations-32 from the down flowing oil, and to providea series of pockets in which the vapor may cool. The vapor pipe 31 extends up into the interior of the T 29, and passes through a block 34 in the side thereof.. The interior of the chamber 14 is conneoted to the chamber 15 by means of a mixing passage 35, and the pipe 32 projects into this passage and is provided with a vaporizer 36 on the end thereof, this vaporizer consisting of a hollow member provided with a plurality of holes so that the vapor from the vapor releaser is thoroughly cracking chamber 15 is provided with a conical bottom as shown at 38, this bottom being provided with an outlet pipe 39. The vapor releaser 13 is also provided with a similar outlet pipe 40, the pipes 39 and 40 being connected to the suction pipe 41 of a force pump 42, this pump 42 delivering re siduum from the releaser 13, and heavy condensate from the chamber 15 to the inlet pipe 27 of the coil 12 through a pipe 43. A crude oil supply pump 44 receives crude oil through a pipe 45 and delivers this oil through a pipe 46 to the pipe 43, through which it flows to the heating coil 12. The

' suction blower 18 draws the gases from the top of the chamber 15 through a suction pipe 50 and delivers these gases through a pipe 51 to the top of the scrubber 19. This scrubber is provided with a jet of water supplied through a pipe 52, this water playing on a series of cones 53 which are carried by a vapor pipe 54:, this vapor pipe being perforated directly below the cones 53 and vapors being taken off through a pipe 55 and delivered to the condenser 20, this condenser being of any convenient form and being cooled by water which enters the condenser through a pipe 56 and leaves by a pipe 57.

The method of operation of the invention is as follows:

Crude oil delivered by the pipe -15 is forced by the pmnp 4% through the pipe 16 and the pipes t3 and 27 into the coil 12, and through the coil 12 to the pipe 28, being delivered from the pipe 28 into the top of the Vapor releaser 13, falling on the first of the cones 30, and being spread by this cone and the succeeding cones against the inner side of the walls of the metal shell 30. The oil is finally delivered through the pipe 40 and the pipe 41 to the pump 42 by means of which it is again delivered to the coil 12. The burner 23 is then lighted and the flames thereof pass through the interior of the furnace and through the closed chamber ll into the mixing passage 35. The vapors are drawn through the passage 35 into the cracking chamber 15' due to the suction of the blower 18, these hot gases being forced downwardly through the scrubber 19 and through the condenser 20 passing out through the pipe 58. At the beginning of this process practically none of these gases are condensed in the condenser 20. At the same time water is supplied to the coil 16, and this water is heated in the coil-to form steam, and the steam is delivered through the nozzle 17 into the interior of the furnace 11 and mixes with the ineandencent gases from the burner 23, the mixture passing upwardly around the vapor releaser 13 and further heating the oil therein. The heating of the oil in the coil 12 and in the releaser 13 soon results in the formation of vapor, and this vapor is drawn off from the interior of the vaporreleaser 13 through the openings 32 and the pipe 31, these vapors passing outwardly through the vaporizer 36 into the chamber 35 through which the heated ases are being passed. It is probable that the steam delivered by the nozzle 17 becomes disassociated due to the high temperatures in the back of the furnace 11 and that the mixture passing through the passage 35 contains some free hydrogen. The mixture of oil vapor and water vapor from the coil 16, and disassociated gases formed therefrom as well as the products 'of combustion from the burner 23 are drawn by the fan 18 into the cracking chamber 15 in which they are still further mixed and in which some further action may take place.

After the apparatus has been running for a short time there will be some accumulation of tar, or heavy oil in the bottom of the chamber 15, and this may be drawn down-- Wardly from time to time through the pipe 39 by. the pump 12, and returned to the heat ing coil 12-. The mixture delivered by the blower 18 to the scrubber l9 is washed by the water jet therein, the water and such products as are trapped by the water being drawn off and discharged to any suitable point by the pipe 100. Some of the by-products so drawn off are of very considerable value, and it may be desirable to further treat this water to remove them therefrom.

The remainder of the mixture is drawn into the condenser 20 in which the greater portion of the hydrocarbons are condensed, these hydrocarbons being delivered in liquid form through the pipe 58, considerable uncondensable vapor being also delivered through this pipe. The vapor and liquids delivered through the pipe 58 are not yet finshed products, but consist of various hydrocarbons which may be treated by fractional distillation, condensation, or crystallization, to remove the valuable products therefrom.

T find that by continuously runnin the apparatus as described above, that various valuable products are formed, particularly gasolene, benzin, toluene, benzin-toluene, as well as various other light or aromatic hydrocarbons.

I have not. attempted in this application to fully describe the theory on which my process operates, as 1 am not fully informed on this point. I have, however, operated a plant substantially the same as that described in this specification, on a commercial scale with satisfactory commercial results.

I claim as my invention 1. Any process of treating hydrocarbon oil which consists of the following steps; heating the oil in a suitable heating means by means of incandescent gases; separating vapors from the oil; mixing said vapors densing the condensable portion of the resulting product.

3. Any process of treating hydrocarbon oil which consists of the following steps; heating the oil in a suitable heating means by means of incandescent gases; injecting superheated steam into said gases; separating vapors from the oil; mixing said vapors with said incandescent gases, the separated oil being so disposed of as to keep it out of contact with said gases; scrubbing said mixture of steam, vapor, and incandescent gases to remove any solids that may be carried therein; and condensing the condensable portion of the resulting product.

1-. Any process of treating hydrocarbon oil which consists of the following steps; heating the oil in a suitable heating means by means of incandescent gases; separating vapors from the oil; returning the portion of the oil not aporized with an added portion of raw oil to said heat-ing means; mixing said vapors with said incandescent gases, the separated oil being so disposed of as to keep it out of contact with said gases; and condensing the condensable portion of the resulting product.

Any process of treating hydrocarbon oil which consists of the following steps; heating the oil in a suitable heating means by means of incandescent gases; injecting superheated steam into said gases; separating vapors from the oil; returning the por' tion of the oil not vaporized with an added portion of raw oil to said heating means; mixing said vapors with said incandescent gases, the separated oil being so disposed of as to keep it out of contact with said gases; and condensing the condensable portion of the resulting product.

6. Any process of treating hydrocarbon oil Which consists of the following steps; heating the oil in a suitable heating means by means of incandescent gases; separating vapors from the oil; returning the portion of the oil not vaporized with an added portion of raw oil to said heating means; mixing said vapors with said incandescent gases, the separated oil being so disposed of as to keep it out of contact with said gases; scrubbing said mixture of steam, vapor, and in candescent gases to remove any solids that may be carried therein; and condensing the condensable portion of the resulting product.

7. Any process of treating hydrocarbon oil which consists of the following steps; heating the oil in a suitable heating means by means of incandescent gases; injecting superheated steam into said gases; separating vapors from the oil; returning the portion of the oil not vaporized with an added portion'of raw oil to said heating means"; mixing said vapors with said incandescent gases, the separated oil being so disposed of as to keep it out of contact with said gases;

scrubbing said mixture of steam, vapor, and

incandescent gases to remove any solids that may be carried therein; and condenslng the condensable portion of the resultlng product.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set' my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 17th day of June, 1916.

MILON J. TRUMB-LE. 

